Where did the summer go?

Well, school has started, so summer is now over :( We had a good one this year though. Kaitlyn and Sydney went to VBS this year, first year, and.... LOVED it!! Kaitlyn asked me why we hadn't gone before! I guess it's a must every year now!

Then we went to Disney World (the 4 of us)! What a extreme blast that was! The girls had SO much fun it was hard to contain themselves sometimes! Ken and I enjoyed seeing them so happy! The trip really brought the 4 of us back together as a family. It is hard sometimes taking care of Makenzie and trying to have fun sometimes. She can be a joy sometimes, but she can be something else sometimes too!

We also went camping at our property. It was SOOOOO HOT (somewhere in the 90s) we found the Pine River and dipped in and tubed down a small portion it. There is a very small place maintained by the state that has a port-a-potty and a place to put your tubes, canoes or kayaks in and it's on a bend. We put in on one side and would float for 10 minutes and reach the other side of the state owned 'park'. We had a blast even though the river was about FREEZING!! Ken's sister, Melynda and her family, were with us and everyone had a good time. Makenzie really likes the water, so even she had a good time.

Since we found a REALLY good babysitter (for Makenzie) this summer, we were able to go to Michigan's Adventure this summer! It was nice to reconnect like we did at Disney and go a few weeks before school started. That may need to be an annual event too!

Makenzie went to school this summer for 3 mornings a week, so the girls and I would head out on adventures that we couldn't do with Makenzie. We went to new parks around the area, bike rides and even got to run errands! We don't get to do those things very often AT ALL! It's not easy running in a few places when you have a wheelchair to get in and out each time and she doesn't always enjoy it either.

I did take all three girls to the zoo in August since we had a free pass. We stayed 2 hours and came home. The girls saw what they wanted to, we had a picnic lunch and as long as we kept moving, Makenzie was good.

I think that's about all for the summer, but it was very nice to enjoy a few things this year.

Here's a few pictures of our summer...

4th of July

Here is the flag cake I made for the pond party at Ken's cousins.

Can't wait til summer!

We've been somewhat busy the first part of the year.


Kaitlyn and Sydney played indoor soccer in Jan and Feb. They had a great time with it. Sydney did well when she first started soccer last spring, but she's been playing the same sport for a year, so she got burnt out, but was sure excited when t-ball season started in April! Kaitlyn did VERY well in soccer this winter! She was really starting to excel a few weeks before the end of the season. Both coaches asked if she was playing in the spring, but we had to say no, since she was signed up for softball. She was sad to see the indoor soccer season end, but when softball season started after spring break in April, she started to enjoy ball. She has her really good days and her ok days with the sport, but when she gets the fire in her eyes, it's so fun to see her play. Sydney's league is like bumble t-ball. When the ball is hit, the whole team goes after the ball and even tackles each other sometimes. She is the only girl on her team, so it's fun to see her interact with the boys.








Makenzie had a bad month between March and early April. She ended up in the hospital with pneumonia and RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus). It's a very serious infection when the kids are very young. She was in the ICU within 12 hours of admission and remained there until we went home 5 nights later. It was a hard time for our family, but she is SO much more healther now. She couldn't break the 24 lbs mark for over 6 months and now she's gained 2 pounds in 2 months!

Liz took Makenzie to the UofM pulmonologist at the end of May and was very happy with the visit. The pulmonologist was very interested in Makenzie and her history and was SO helpful. She has determined she either has 1. a hard time with her secretions (which we knew), or 2. she could possibly have asthma. She has a hard time breathing when she's sick and when she gets a cold, but she's fine in the summer with the warm/hot weather. We are going back to see them in December, hopefully when Makenzie gets sick for her first sickness next winter. She usually gets real sick around Thanksgiving, so we'll see. It will be very helpful for them to see her so sick, so they can make a proper judgment.

Ken and I are planning our trip to Disney in June. We will be going for a week a few weeks after the girls are done with school. Makenzie will be staying at Grandma's for the week.

Ken and I were able to get away early April to a wedding at Disney (in Florida as Sydney says, since she doesn't think we went to Disney). It was good for all 5 of us to seperate and get a break from each other. Grandma Theresa and Great Aunt Barb came to spend time with the three girls. They had fun too. One day they stayed in the PJs all day and the girls helped them prepare dinner a few times! It was exciting to see what adult life was like again. It had been a while. This was the first time we had gotten on a plane without kids since they've been born. This was the longest we had been away too!

Liz has been baking and decorating a few cakes in April and May! A few birthdays and first communions! She really enjoys making cakes for others. Let us know if you need a cake for a special occasion!




Kaitlyn got glasses in April. She is really cute with them and she wears them all day at school and sometimes at home. They are really helping her in school. All her classmates are complimenting her and saying how nice she looks in them, so so far, so good. And did I mention she lost her first tooth (natually, anyway)


Liz's niece, Tess, got baptized in May and she became her godmother! It was a fun weekend and the girls were VERY good in church!








Things are going ok here. The warm weather will help alot for all of us to get out and enjoy the weather.

Here's to a good start in 2011!

OK, so I haven't been the best at keeping this blog, but at least here's the first post of the new year.

Kaitlyn is enjoying 2nd grade. Her teacher is a little more difficult than last year, but she's keeping up. She played soccer with the Walker rec league this past fall for the first time. She really enjoyed it, so she is now playing indoor soccer for the winter season. She is growing up so fast. She cares for Makenzie when Liz is out of the room or away for the moment.

Sydney is a little bored in Kindergarten. She is too smart for her own britches. She likes to see her friends and play on the playground, but of the academics are too easy for her. We have Mommy school when she is home on her off days. She enjoys that and of course our 'tea time'! I'm glad I have one on one time with her right now. I know I'm going to miss it next year. Sydney played soccer this past fall also, her second season. She is also playing indoor soccer this winter. She absolutely LOVES soccer!

Makenzie is enjoying her school finally! It took 6 weeks for her to get used to the routine. She rides the bus to and from school and mommy does not go with her. She cried everyday until week 7. Mommy cried for at least the first 2 weeks. It was very hard to see her get on the bus by herself and let her go. She has an aide on the bus that only watches after her, so that makes me feel comfortable about her going. She likes circle time and our swimming sessions! We are going swimming once a month at the Developmental school on the other side of town.

Ken is still working at Herman Miller and Liz is still a stay at home mom. We are doing ok. We try to get through everyday trying to care for all the girls and try to give them some kind of enjoyment. Some days are harder than others, but it helps to have the girls and sports.

Here's our Christmas pictures we sent out on our Christmas card...